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Whether you are visiting for business or pleasure, on a tight budget or have money to burn, London has a hotel to suit you. But while famous hotels like the Ritz and Dorchester put a premium on buttoned-up service, sometimes it's nice to let your hair down. Although the capital is a city at work, competition is fierce among hotels to make your stay fun. Neighborhoods off the tourist trail, like Camberwell and King's Cross, offer accommodations with eccentric design, while centrally located boutique hotels, such as those in the Firmdale group, will keep you entertained with exclusive activities.

Boutique Hotels

Ask any Londoner with an interest in design to name the capital's best boutique hotel and chances are it will be in the Firmdale group (firmdale.com) of properties. Consisting of six hotels, the chain is the baby of Kit Kemp, who, along with husband Tim, virtually invented the London boutique hotel scene. Each room is unique, but all follow Kit's trademark contemporary twist on classic English design, with pinstriped wallpaper and large-print floral fabrics. It's not just playful décor that makes them fun; however, the Covent Garden, Soho and Charlotte Street Hotels also come with cinemas where regular film club events invite you to watch movies after a champagne afternoon tea or two-course dinner. The Bermondsey Square Hotel (bermondseysquarehotel.co.uk), meanwhile, proudly wears its national heritage with staff dressed in Mary Quant uniforms and Loft Suites named after iconic songs from the Swinging '60s. Each comes with a unique feature, such as a hammock or a rooftop eight-person hot tub, a favorite locale for impromptu parties.

Budget Hotels

As far as the Clink78 Hostel (clinkhostels.com) is concerned, budget is no barrier to fun in London. It's located in King's Cross in a former Victorian courthouse, where Charles Dickens worked while he was writing "Oliver Twist" and bad boy punk band The Clash stood trial for shooting pigeons. Not all beds are in dormitories; you can stay in one of the seven original prison cells, complete with the original barred-windows. If the idea of being locked-up doesn't sound fun, head to the Clashbar for regular quiz nights, DJ parties and live bands.

Hotels With Fun Activities

Many London hotels offer standard family facilities such as babysitting and free beds for the under 12s, but Jumeirah Carlton Tower (jumeirah.com) raises the bar by welcoming younger guests with a goodie bag packed with a soft toy, games and quizzes that help them discover the city. For more adult pursuits, check into the Sherlock Holmes Hotel (parkplazasherlockholmes.com) in Marylebone where guests can join a murder mystery tour, held once a month from March to November, and four times a week in December. The Piccadilly Backpackers (piccadillyhotel.net), at the heart of London's nightlife district, offers funky Japanese capsule rooms decorated with graffiti-style art and nightly party events where local promoters take guests on tours of the neighborhood pubs and clubs.

Hotels With Eccentric Decor

If you're willing to locate in neighborhoods slightly off the tourist path, you can be rewarded with some of London's most bizarrely designed hotels. Better known for its mainline railway station with fast connections to Heathrow Airport, Paddington is home to the Pavilion Hotel (pavilionhoteluk.com), a quirky 30-room guest house with eccentric decor ranging from 1970s-inspired Honky Tonk Afro funk to the North African themed Casablanca Nights rooms. The owner, a former model, is also a fan of classic cars and might lend you his vintage purple Lamborghini Diablo or yellow Ferrari Modena. Check into Camberwell's Church Street Hotel (churchstreethotel.com), and you could be forgiven for thinking you'd taken a wrong turn and ended up in old Havana. The exquisite decor is as about as far from London as you can get, with immaculate mosaic and color-washed walls and bed throws lifted straight from a Mexican hacienda. The Greek-Spanish owners invite you to spend time sampling fine tequilas in the bar, while the restaurant seemingly takes a gastronomic tour of Spain's more rustic produce.

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About the Author

Based in London, Andrew Copestake has been writing lifestyle articles since 2000. His articles have appeared in “Sunday Times Travel” magazine, “MSN Travel" and on the British Airways website. He has also contributed to “Time Out” guidebooks and “Insight” guides. Copestake holds a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing and film from London Metropolitan University.